1 Introduction
1.1 Background: an increasingly image-conscious China 1.2 Central questions and research justification 1.3 Theoretical framework 1.4 Structure of the book and chapter outlines 2 Changing German Images of China 2.1 Key concepts in image study 2.1.1 Image and national image 2.1.2 Stereotype 2.1.3 Prejudice 2.1.4 Summary 2.2 China through Western eyes: a historical review 2.3 Sino-German relations and changing German perceptions of China 2.4 German media representations of China and related research 3 Media Construction of Social Reality 3.1 Media and the social construction of reality 3.1.1 A constructionist approach to meaning 3.1.2 Media and social reality 3.2 Selection mechanism of news media 3.2.1 Gatekeeping theory 3.2.2 News values 3.3 Framing theory 3.3.1 Media framing research and its origins 3.3.2 Concept clarification: framing and frame 3.3.3 Framing and attribute agenda-setting 3.3.4 Frame building 3.3.5 Frame analysis 4 Research Design 4.1 Research objectives 4.2 Content analysis as a research technique 4.2.1 Quantitative vs. qualitative approach 4.2.2 Content analysis of media frames 4.3 Data collection 4.3.1 Investigated newspapers 4.3.2 Selection of research materials 4.3.3 Coding units at the article level: thematic categories and form features 4.3.4 Operationalization of frames and coding procedures 4.3.5 Validity and reliability 5 Distribution of Media Attention: Issues and Trends 5.1 General review 5.2 Trends: changing media choices 5.3 Themes and actors 5.3.1 Thematic categories in each subject area 5.3.2 Main actors 6 Qualitative Perspectives: Framing as a Process of Interpretation 6.1 Domestic politics 6.2 Economy 6.3 International relations 6.4 Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics 6.5 Culture and society 6.6 Social problems 6.7 Military and defense 7 Media Framing of Conflicts and Crises 7.1 Tibet unrest 7.2 Civil and political rights 7.3 Environmental crisis 7.4 Sichuan earthquake 7.5 Milk scandal 8 Findings and Discussion 8.1 Returing to the research questions 8.2 Prominent views on Chinese politics and society 8.3 Theoretical relevance and practical implications 8.3.1 Bias vs. balance 8.3.2 Western-centrism vs. self-reflection 8.3.3 Simplification and categorical thinking 8.3.4 Media, intercultural perception and government strategy 8.4 Limitations and future research directions References Appendices A. Frequency distribution of subject/theme by length B. Frequency distribution of subject/theme by narrative style C. Codebook for content analysis D. Codebook for frame analysis
About the Author: Dr Fengmin Yan holds a PhD in Media and Communication Studies from the Freie Universität Berlin. She completed her public relations education at Sun Yat‐sen University. Her research interests include media effects on society, cognitive psychology of communication, and research methods in communications studies, and her doctoral research focused on the media construction of social reality and image formation. She is currently investigating topics regarding social media and civic engagement in China and cognitive mechanisms of misinformation processing.